Carrot and Pea Soup

Ingredients 

Chopped carrots                           1  cup

Fresh or frozen green peas             1/2 cup

Chopped Jalapenos s                    - 1 no

Water                                          2 cups

Crushed black peppercorns              ½ teaspoon

Green cardamom pods, crushed         2 no

Cloves                                          – 2

stick cinnamon                               1-inch

Bay leaves                                      2

Juice of  lemon                                1

Salt                                               TO TASTE

 heavy cream                                 ¼ cup(optional)

Milk                                              – ¼ cup

chopped fresh cilantro leaves             2 tablespoons 

  

 Method:

• Heat the stock in a saucepan.  Place peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaves in a square of cheesecloth and tie the cloth closed. 
• Add to the pot, along with the carrots, peas, Jalapenos, lemon juice, and salt to taste.  Bring to a boil. 
•  Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.  Remove from heat and discard the bag of spices.
•  Let the soup cool slightly, then puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. 
•  Force the soup through a strainer into a clean pan.  Add the heavy cream/ milk and bring the soup to a simmer, skimming if necessary. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Carrot and Pea Soup

Dum Aloo

Dum Aloo belongs to North Indian or more specifically Kashmiri Pundit cuisine. The potatoes, usually smaller ones, are first deep fried, then cooked slowly at low flame in a curd based gravy with Indian spices. Dum Aloo is a very popular recipe. It goes with Kashmiri Pulao.

Ingredients:

Small Potatoes                         – 1 ½ pound

Asafetida                                  A pinch

Turmeric Powder                       1/2 tsp

Chili powder                             1 tsp

Thick Curd                               2 cup

Bay Leaves                             3 no

Ginger paste                           1 tbsp

Ghee/oil                               – 4 tbsp

Milk                                      1/2 cup

Salt                                       to taste

To be grind:

Cashews                                   – 7 no

Khus- Khus                              – 2 tbsp

For Masala:

Cinnamon                                  - ½ ‘’

Cardamoms                               2 no

Black Peppers                           – 7 no

Coriander Seeds                         1 tbsp

Cloves                                       4-5

Method:

• Soak the cashews and khus khus for 30 minutes.
• Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker. Remove the peel from potatoes and prick them.
• Take oil in a frying pan shallow fry the potatoes on a medium heat until their color changes from white to light brown. Keep it aside.
•  Make a fine powder by blending together the ingredients of the masala in a blender. Keep it aside. 
• Take frying pans add oil and heat it. Add, asafetida, bay leaves and ginger paste to the remaining oil
•  Fry the mixture till the paste turns reddish brown. 
• • Grind soaked cashews and khus khus with powdered masalas, turmeric powder and chili powder. Grind them very smoothly.
•  Add the grounded masala prepared and fry for about 4 minutes.  (Lower the stove heat)
• Now pour the milk to make gravy followed by adding fine curd. 
•  Keep stirring continuously, add water if the gravy appears too thick. 
• Now add pricked potatoes to this gravy and cook in a pressure cooker. Cook till first whistle.
• Remove from the flame and Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves. 
•  Serve with hot Kashmiri Pulao.

Kashmiri Pulao

The Kashmiri Pulao is a very tempting recipe from the Kashmiri cuisine. Although it is a deep cold region high in the Himalayas, Kashmir lies along the ancient overland trade routes between Persia and India, and the cuisine is famous for using a huge assortment of nuts and dried fruits from all over Central and Western Asia.

Paddy took me to a fancy restaurant called “Subhikha” in Cochin. First time in my life I enjoyed this pulao. It was so yummy. That day onwards I am very crazy about this fancy pulao.  Whenever I am tired to make same food, I always prefer to make  this pulao and Dum Aloo for a change. This pulao is all time favorites for me and Paddy.  This recipe is long time due. Here you go…

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice                              – 2 cups

Milk -                                        1 1/2 cups

Water                                       – ¼ cup

Fruit water _                                 ¼ cups (drained from mixed fruit can)

Cream                                       – ¼ cup

Paneer cubes                            – 4 no (optinal)

Ghee                                        – 4 tbsp

Saffron-                                        3-4 strands (soaked in ½ tbsp of milk)

Ginger paste                               – 1tsp

Rose water                                – 2 drops (2 - 3 Edible Rose Petals)

Sugar                                        - 1/2 tsp

Fruits& vegetables:

Apple                                       – ½ (Peeled and cut small pieces)

Mixed Fruit can                          – 1 ( drain )

Chopped carrot                          – ¼ cup

Green chillies                             – 2 no (split lengthwise)

Green Peas                                – ½ cup

Nuts:

Raisins                                       –3 tbsp

Cashew nuts                              – 2 tbsp

Pistachio nuts                             – 2 tbsp

Almonds, blanched and diced          2 tbsp

Masalas:

Cloves                                       – 5 no

Green cardamom                       - 4 pods

Cinnamon                                 – 1’’

Bay leaves                                 -2 no

Cumin seed                              – ½ tsp 

Method:

• Wash rice and soak it for 30 minutes.  Drain rice and keep it aside. 
• Soak the strands of saffron in milk, mixing until the milk turns orange.  Keep aside.
• In the meanwhile take a bowl and mix milk, cream, sugar and salt in it.  Keep aside.
• Now, take a pan and heat ghee in it. Put ginger paste,  green chilies,cumin seeds, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamoms and cloves in it and fry for few minutes. 
• When the seeds start to crackle, add rice and fry in ghee for 2 minutes.
• Add milk, saffron and cream mixture to it along with ¼cup water, fruit juice (drained from fruit tin) and mix well. Shift to Rice cooker. Let it cook. Make sure that the rice is not overcooked and it can be separated too.
• In meanwhile take a pan heat the ghee add vegetables and fry for few minutes. Keep aside.
• Fry all the nuts in the ghee and keep aside.
• Peel and cut apple very small pieces. Keep aside.
• Pour the cooked rice into the pan and add vegetables, fried Paneer (optional), fried nuts, and apple pieces. Stir very carefully so as not to break or mash up the rice grains.
• Now, gently mix it in drained fruit and sprinkle Rose Water or finely broken rose petals over it. 
• Serve hot with Aloo Dum, Fruit Raita.

Note: Add more ghee according to your preference.

Kashmiri Pulao

Thank You

My Readers & Friends, I owe it all to you. I thank you with all my heart & soul for getting me to this milestone - 100^th post. I could not have done without you.  You have taken your time , visited my blog, helped and supported when I needed, read , left comments and appreciations. That gives me a enthusiasm to move on. Special thanks to Paddy, Mayura, Bharath, Sudha,Gayathri and SNDG (Seattle Nallayiera Divya Prabhadam Goshti), friends and family.

Jeera Millaghu Sathuamuthu ( Black Pepper Rasam)

The ‘Rasam’ of India is a perfect remedy for flu, or cold and is welcomed on a cold or rainy day. This Milagu Rasam is especially good for sore throats, fever and cold and stomach upset . This is one of my favorite Sathuamuthu.

Ingredients:

Tamarind                    – 1 small lemon size

Asafetida                     – ¼ tsp

Curry leaves                  – a few

Tomato                           – 1 no

Ginger grated                    – 1 tsbp

Turmeric powder                    – ¼ tsp
Salt                                      – to taste

FOR THE POWDER:

Coarsely grind the following into a powder. No roasting is required.

Pepper                                        – 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds                            – 1 tbsp

Coriander seeds                             – 1 tbsp

Toovar dhal                                  – 1 tbsp

Red chilies                                     – 2no

FOR THE SEASONING:

Ghee                                         – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds                            – ¼ tsp

Black Pepper                               – ¼ tsp

Jeera                                          – 1/8 tsp
Rasam Powder                                 - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves

Red Chilies                                       – 1 no

Chopped coriander leaves                      – 1tsp

METHOD:

• Soak tamarind in warm water and extract the juice.
• Add salt, Asafetida, tomato pieces, turmeric powder, ginger and curry leaves.
• Boil until the raw smell disappears.
• Grind the five ingredients into a slightly coarse powder.
• Add the 3 tbsp of  powder and add water immediately to make one liter of rasam.
• Boil for few more minutes in low flame.
• Cover it with a lid to preserve flavor.
• Switch off flame when the rasam is just about to boil.
• Heat ghee and fry the seasoning and add to the rasam.
• Garnish with Coriander leaves.

Roasted Potatoes

Potato (Aaloo) is perhaps the most popular vegetable in the world. It is used in a number of dishes such as appetizers, salads etc.  All over the world, kids to grandma everyone likes this vegetable.This is a simple, elegant,and delicious dish. It is a super easy recipe and great side dish for any sort of rice item..Each one has a different variation on preparing this spicy potato fry.Love this one with curd rice.

Ingredients:

Potatoes                            10 nos

Oil                                     4 tsp

Red chili powder                1 1tsp

Jeera                                 ¼ tsp
Snafu  powder (sombhu)   1/4 tsp (Optional)

Turmeric powder               2 pinches

Hing                                 ½ tsp

Salt                                   to taste

Method:

• Boil  potatoes in a pressure cooker. Cut into medium size cubes. (Do not remove skins).Mix with chili powder, snafu powder (optional) and Hing and salt in it.
• Heat oil in cast iron tawa, add Jeera. When Jeera crackles, add the potatoes and fry in the low heat till potatoes are roasted.
• Serve with rice, chapatti.

Tip: Cast iron pan is good for roasting any vegetables. You don't need more oil for roasting. 

Bengali Kichadi

Bengali cuisine traces its root to the region of Bengal, which is now divided between into Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. Food is important part of Bengali culture, which can be seen in the bold flavors of delicious and delicate Bengali dishes. Bengali cuisine also uses pungent flavored mustard oil, which is not commonly used in other Indian cooking. Other common five spice mixture used in Bengali cuisine is Panch Phoron.

Usually this mixture of five spices is fried in ghee or oil, which is known as Panch Phoron in Bengali. After drying, the mixture is added to vegetables or dal. 

Panch Phoron

These are the spices:

Fenugreek

Nigella seed (Nigella seeds are also known as Kalonji in India. They are also often referred to as onion seeds even though it is not related to onion plant. Nigella seed gives flavor nutty bitter flavor similar to oregano.)

Black Mustard seed

Fennel seed

Celery Seed (Radhuni) or Cumin Seed

Bangla Khichdi Recipe

Rice -                                 1 cup (washed and soaked for 30minutes)

Masoor dal -                      3/4 cup (washed and soaked for 30 minutes

Chenna dal -                     1tbsp (washed and soaked for 30 minutes)

Turmeric powder                1/2 tsp

Salt                                to taste

Water                             5 Cups

Ghee –                           6 tbsp

Chopped coriander leaves, for garnish

Spices:

Bay leaf                           2 no

Green cardamoms-            3 no

Stick cinnamon                  1 ‘’

Cloves                             4 no

Garam masala powder       1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds                    1/4 tsp

Panch Poran –                   1 tbsp

Vegetables:

 Frozen Baby potatoes, washed clean           - 6 no

 Carrot and Peas                                     1 cup (diced)

Cauliflower-                                            1 cup

Grated Ginger                                        - 1 tbsp

Green chilies,                                         3-4 (finely chopped)

Method:

• Drain dals and rice in a colander and keep aside. 
• Cook the baby potatoes in microwave for 5 minutes.
• Semi crush spices (cardamom, cinnamon and cloves). 
• Heat 3 tbsp ghee in a large heavy skillet and add cumin seeds, bay leaf and crushed spices and Panch Phoron. 
• Add ginger, and chilies, potatoes and Stir-fry for 4 minutes.
• Add  all vegetables, turmeric, garam masala and salt. 
• Add dals and rice. Gently stir-fry for 1 minute.   Add water.
• Shift to a rice cooker and cook till done.
• When done, pour remaining ghee and sprinkle coriander leaves. 
• Serve piping hot, with curd and chutney. 




Vegetables and Spices



Bengali Kichadi